III. SHARED PROPOSALS (Research and Practice Protocols) Week V and VI 1. Develop a District Assessment Policy for Assessment
My development of a district assessment policy would include a time of retreat for all the schools in the district. Administrators, curriculum development people, and department chairs would form teams that evaluate current practices of each school. Using Stiggins model of assessment, teams would formulate new goals for improvement. Each representative of a school would bring these new goals back to their schools.
Improvements would require new learning targets and be focused on assessment for the student as well as the teachers.
2. Develop a Plan for Teacher Involvement in the School Assessment Plan which will be aligned to the District Assessment Policy
As mentioned initially in the week III and IV page, appropriate planning time would be set aside for teachers to be introduced to the district assessment policy, beginning with introduction to the policy during the close of the school year. Summer months would offer opportunities for teachers to attend workshop/discussion meetings regarding the new assessment policy. Training would be at the beginning of the school year inservices, where teachers would spend a majority of the two days with the plan.
3. Develop a Plan for Student Involvement in the Assessment Process
Students would meet privately with each of their teachers to discuss individual assessment strategies and results after assessment. Because students are involved throughout the process they can make their own goals and recognize the learning targets so they can better make their individual goals. Ongoing communication between teachers, parents and students is a must.
IV. FOURTH WEEKEND PREPARATION: Classroom Assessment Symposium Reflect on the study and activities you have been involved in during the past weeks. Come to our final class prepared to discuss the following on Friday evening: (Please write your "talking points" out and prepare to hand them in)
KYLE HEUVER IV. FOURTH WEEKEND PREPARATION: Classroom Assessment Symposium
Reflect on the study and activities you have been involved in during the past weeks. Come to our final class prepared to discuss the following on Friday evening: (Please write your "talking points" out and prepare to hand them in)
1) How would you define assessment? How would you explain the difference between assessment and testing to your teachers? Parents? Students? Assessment is the act of gathering information to better both teacher and student and to confirm and improve current progress. Assessment provides the proof you are looking for as a teacher that objectives and benchmarks are being met.. I think assessment can be thought of as climate as testing is to weather. Assessment really looks longer term and improving, setting goals, etc. for the future. Teachers and students can adjust and improve through assessment. Testing is here and now. It looks at what kids can do now and doesn’t allow for much growth of the student.
2) How would you modify the Stiggins 5-step model to make it more effective in your particular setting? I like the 5 steps. The key for me would be to make sure teachers are well educated in the process. I could see difficulties with teachers who have not been introduced or aren’t aware of the process-especially older teachers who may be “set in their ways” and don’t see how it will improve their teaching. They would have to be sold on it. It would also have to be a constant part of their planning and teaching for it to take hold and be effective in our school.
3) What is the reality of the assessment process in your school? How would you move the assessment process in the direction you would like it to go? I think we rely too much on tests and don’t look long term. Learning is purely what the teachers cover and doesn’t really seek student input or communication. We need to do a better job with higher level thinking, digging deeper into Blooms and challenging our students to do more than just recalling information—developing intrapersonal skills, reflections and correlations. I need the help of a number of faculty-preferably ones who want to do better and that are veterans-to be on board prior to introducing to the rest of the staff. Then, have a series, even week of classes prior to school beginning, to spend time on it. I’d have an outside person—perhaps a prof from Marian or CESA rep—to come and host this workshop and to help teachers see the value and how they can change things in their schedules to better reflect Stiggins’ model for assessment. Just having a wkshop on Blooms would be helpful and hopefully challenge the staff. 4) How could classroom assessment process(es) be used more effectively? I think they would be helpful in our school in the area with pre-assessing and then planning based on this assessment. This could help teachers place students in the correct areas for extra work, advanced work, etc. Teachers would also be able to improve their curriculum and make changes to it that would improve in the future.
5) What are some specific strategies that would better include students in the assessment process? Self assessment- Having more rubrics for students to be introduced to. Helping them develop their own rubrics in the assessment process. One on one conferences-these need to take place, but the problem always seems to require time-time that teachers don’t have, can’t find, or don’t want to make time for. Making students active learners and active assessors.
III. SHARED PROPOSALS (Research and Practice Protocols) Week V and VI 1. Develop a District Assessment Policy for Assessment
My development of a district assessment policy would include a time of retreat for all the schools in the district. Administrators, curriculum development people, and department chairs would form teams that evaluate current practices of each school. Using Stiggins model of assessment, teams would formulate new goals for improvement. Each representative of a school would bring these new goals back to their schools.
Improvements would require new learning targets and be focused on assessment for the student as well as the teachers.
2. Develop a Plan for Teacher Involvement in the School Assessment Plan which will be aligned to the District Assessment Policy
As mentioned initially in the week III and IV page, appropriate planning time would be set aside for teachers to be introduced to the district assessment policy, beginning with introduction to the policy during the close of the school year. Summer months would offer opportunities for teachers to attend workshop/discussion meetings regarding the new assessment policy. Training would be at the beginning of the school year inservices, where teachers would spend a majority of the two days with the plan.
3. Develop a Plan for Student Involvement in the Assessment Process
Students would meet privately with each of their teachers to discuss individual assessment strategies and results after assessment. Because students are involved throughout the process they can make their own goals and recognize the learning targets so they can better make their individual goals. Ongoing communication between teachers, parents and students is a must.
IV. FOURTH WEEKEND PREPARATION: Classroom Assessment Symposium Reflect on the study and activities you have been involved in during the past weeks. Come to our final class prepared to discuss the following on Friday evening: (Please write your "talking points" out and prepare to hand them in)
KYLE HEUVERIV. FOURTH WEEKEND PREPARATION: Classroom Assessment Symposium
Reflect on the study and activities you have been involved in during the past weeks. Come to our final class prepared to discuss the following on Friday evening: (Please write your "talking points" out and prepare to hand them in)
1) How would you define assessment? How would you explain the difference between assessment and testing to your teachers? Parents? Students?
Assessment is the act of gathering information to better both teacher and student and to confirm and improve current progress. Assessment provides the proof you are looking for as a teacher that objectives and benchmarks are being met..
I think assessment can be thought of as climate as testing is to weather. Assessment really looks longer term and improving, setting goals, etc. for the future. Teachers and students can adjust and improve through assessment. Testing is here and now. It looks at what kids can do now and doesn’t allow for much growth of the student.
2) How would you modify the Stiggins 5-step model to make it more effective in your particular setting?
I like the 5 steps. The key for me would be to make sure teachers are well educated in the process. I could see difficulties with teachers who have not been introduced or aren’t aware of the process-especially older teachers who may be “set in their ways” and don’t see how it will improve their teaching. They would have to be sold on it. It would also have to be a constant part of their planning and teaching for it to take hold and be effective in our school.
3) What is the reality of the assessment process in your school? How would you move the assessment process in the direction you would like it to go?
I think we rely too much on tests and don’t look long term. Learning is purely what the teachers cover and doesn’t really seek student input or communication. We need to do a better job with higher level thinking, digging deeper into Blooms and challenging our students to do more than just recalling information—developing intrapersonal skills, reflections and correlations.
I need the help of a number of faculty-preferably ones who want to do better and that are veterans-to be on board prior to introducing to the rest of the staff. Then, have a series, even week of classes prior to school beginning, to spend time on it. I’d have an outside person—perhaps a prof from Marian or CESA rep—to come and host this workshop and to help teachers see the value and how they can change things in their schedules to better reflect Stiggins’ model for assessment. Just having a wkshop on Blooms would be helpful and hopefully challenge the staff.
4) How could classroom assessment process(es) be used more effectively?
I think they would be helpful in our school in the area with pre-assessing and then planning based on this assessment. This could help teachers place students in the correct areas for extra work, advanced work, etc. Teachers would also be able to improve their curriculum and make changes to it that would improve in the future.
5) What are some specific strategies that would better include students in the assessment process?
Self assessment-
Having more rubrics for students to be introduced to. Helping them develop their own rubrics in the assessment process.
One on one conferences-these need to take place, but the problem always seems to require time-time that teachers don’t have, can’t find, or don’t want to make time for.
Making students active learners and active assessors.